Another (Old) Log Home Question

[beaglady]

Has anyone here restored an 'old' handhewn log house. One is hiding under our vinyl siding and drywall. We would like to expose it and see what it's like, then either hide it again or restore it. Hopefully restore it. It was built late 1800's or early 1900's. Based on other log houses I've seen redone in this part of the state, there is probably very wide chinking between the logs. I'm sure this will need to be replaced & I was wondering if there is some kind of 'new' chinking to take the place of traditional mud or concrete. I've also heard that there may be some type of epoxy sealer that can be applied to repair and stablize the logs. never had much lock finding much info on restoring an old log house on the internet.

I'm hoping someone here has done it.

[beaglady]

Bumping this up cause I can't believe no one knows.

[Alex]

Scroll down to My post June 21 2005 about similar question and you will get an idea of what is possible.

Sure there are chinking ideas you can buy for a big price, but if you experiment with the formula I list and apply it with force, with a rubber gloved hand, it will last forever.

Either leave the logs the beautiful grey they are, and spray with a sealer -- which I am doing on the sides and back of my thirty-year old cabin -- or grind and sand -- a HUGE-dusty job -- and then treat, stain, or varnish.

An 1800 cabin would be a shame to cover up or grind down -- keep the original antique logs.

Good Luck,

Alex

[OldFarmGal]

Alex - Thanks for repeating your chinking formula. We have a 100 year old log house that needs some chinking replacement. Whatever they used to replace the original with (about 20 years ago) is very brittle. Will this formula become brittle, also? I hate it when I whack a nail in a log or a door slams and chinking falls out!

[Alex]

It depends on how you apply it and if the logs are old or new.

The wetter you mix the batch the better it is for filling and smoothing -- you rub it out like your do concrete -- bring water to the surface and smooth. Then it should stay hard -- like cement for many years. You have to push it in with force, then smooth.

When filling bigger openings, I mix it dryer, then can shrink a bit, then you could go over it again with a wetter coat -- I don't.

You will need to experiment a bit -- you will figure it out.

btw I mix it in a wheel borrow -- one of my old posts even shows me mixing it. Also, the type of sawdust is interesting -- any will work. But I cut out some logs to put in an up stairs door and had some fine poplar sawdust from the chainsaw cuts -- I made some chinking with that -- it was more the color of our logs and it was smoother because the sawdust was finer than the mill chips we had been using.

The pine and or spruce chips from the mill are fine -- any type is fine -- there are differences which are only interesting.

Good luck, have fun,

Alex

From that other post,

[Here I am mixing 1/3 flour 1/3 lime and 1/3 sawdust for chinking our log cabin near Moberly Lake BC.


The white stuff is the lime, the sack of flour, a pile of shavings on the ground and me.

[indypartridge]

[QUOTE=beaglady] I've also heard that there may be some type of epoxy sealer that can be applied to repair and stablize the logs. never had much lock finding much info on restoring an old log house on the internet.[QUOTE]

Here are a couple links that may be useful:

http://www.loghomecenter.com/

http://www.permachink.com/

We've talked to Bill Huff (and/or his sons) at the Log Home Center on several occasions. They are quite knowledgeable and have been very helpful. We bought an existing log home and needed info on how to care for it. We bought a book from them - can't remember the name - that covers all the basics of what you need to do maintain a log home. We've bought different products from them and have been quite satisfied.